


Your Affection, Your Confession

by linefaced



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-13
Updated: 2012-12-13
Packaged: 2017-11-21 00:30:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linefaced/pseuds/linefaced
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Souji confesses during his visit back to Inaba after two years and doesn't get the reaction he's expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Affection, Your Confession

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after seeing everyone's appearances during the "two years later" epilogue of The Golden, but this doesn't contain spoilers since I haven't actually gotten to that part of the game myself. Also partially inspired by a gorgeous doujinshi we own called 「背骨」 (“sebone”/backbone) by ERRORWORK. I’m a sucker for dorky, sappy romance. I like seeing these two in pain sometimes, but I have difficulty writing it on my own, so have some second-person perspective fluff.

It takes all the Courage you can muster, but you take him aside once the “welcome back” celebrations have calmed, and standing under a clear night sky near the bank of the too-familiar Samegawa—it seemed like an appropriate spot, given your most memorable interactions with him have taken place here—you take a deep breath, ignore your heart trying to escape your ribcage, and you tell him. 

He seems startled, predictably, but rather than any one of the myriad of reactions you imagined (anger, outright hatred, resentment, guilt, discomfort at the very least), he cocks his head, folds his arms over his chest, and then  _smirks_.

“ _Really?_ ” he asks you, peering all-too-closely at your face, and you feel blood flooding your cheeks in response, a reaction you’re not used to having.  You have a feeling you won’t be able to blame it on the warmth of the summer night, either.

There have been times when you were grateful for Yosuke’s innate ability to all but read your mind.  Now is not one of them.

“You’ve changed,” you say instead, a feeble attempt at a different subject (one away from you and your stupid feelings), but he sees right through that, too.  Normally you’re grateful for Yosuke’s smiles, but now, as it’s turned on you in a knowing smirk, you begin to resent it, just a little.

“So have you… Partner.”  

He says the nickname in a way that’s sly, almost.  You take a step back, all uncharacteristic nervousness, but to your surprise, he follows you.  Before you can utter even a word of protest, you’re wrapped in his arms and his face is resting near your neck. 

 _Has he gotten taller?_ You wonder, your mind wandering hazily as he lets out a soft sigh that warms the exposed skin of your collarbone and sends a shiver down your spine despite the lingering heat of the air around you.  His grip tightens, his arms stronger than you remember them being.  

“Me too,” he murmurs against your neck, “it started before you left, even, I just… didn’t realize what it was, you know?”

You nod.  You understand, because even now, after everything’s been long over, it had been impossibly difficult to get the words out.  You’d wasted hours of your life before you came here worrying about it, practicing in front of mirrors, writing down a huge long spiel with explanations and excuses and ways for him to turn you down without having to feel guilty about it, if he even took it that well to begin with, and eventually you’d decided to erase it all and keep it down to one simple confession, a single sentence.  Explanations and excuses could come later, you decided, but even though it was only three words, they were probably the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to say in your life.

He lets go but doesn’t step back, reaching up and grasping the sides of your face with both hands, his fingers calloused and rough against your skin but not unpleasant, and he looks at you.  You meet his eyes, study his face.  His hair’s shorter and his former trademark headphones are missing, but you know that’s a sign of growth—he’s matured, he doesn’t need to shut the world out anymore, he doesn’t push away and close up when things get too hard for him to face (is that why he’s taken this so well?)—but he’s still the same in most of the ways that matter.  He’s still there for you, he didn’t run screaming, and he’s smiling, his eyes bright as he laughs.

“We’re both still pretty stupid, don’t you think?” he says.  You nod, and laugh too, because his smile is infectious and even back when smiles were not something that came easily to you, Yosuke could always manage to draw them out of you anyway.  He presses his forehead against yours, and then chuckles under his breath and murmurs how you “look like a cyclops” from this distance.  You both snort, because it’s a stupid comment and it’s probably one of the most unromantic things ever, but he kisses you anyway.

It’s not a movie kiss, you’re both clumsy and your teeth knock together and his nose presses into yours, but his hands are still holding your face and you couldn’t pull away even if you wanted to (and you definitely don’t).  It’s embarrassing, because you’re both 18 and you feel like you should have more experience in this, but he hasn’t pulled away from you in disgust either.  His hands slide down to your waist as his tongue slips into your mouth, and you put your arms around his neck and hold on like he’s a lifeline as the kiss deepens and your bodies meld together.  You’re both boys, neither of you soft like girls would be, so the press of hard angles and hip bones is awkward and uncomfortable, but neither of you seem to notice.  

When you finally break apart, you’re both breathless, your faces red, the close contact of your hips betraying how much you both enjoyed that.  Neither of you say anything right away, your heavy breathing filling the silence.  Then, finally, Yosuke reaches up and touches your face and smiles again, the expression gentle and warm, and he presses his mouth to yours again, brief and soft.

“I love you too,” he breathes against your lips.  

The two of you sit down in the grass and pebbles of the riverbank, and throw rocks into the river while you talk and catch up.  You hear stories of frustrating coworkers, Teddie’s luck with women, and agony over entrance exams.  It’s almost exactly how things used to be, except Yosuke sits close enough that your shoulders are brushing, and at one point he grasps your hand in his before continuing with his story about the one time Teddie almost set the Junes rooftop on fire.  You begin to think that nothing has really changed between you two, until  the sun breaks the horizon and he kisses you again, pressing you back into the grass.

You spend a long time with Yosuke.


End file.
